Donnette Thayer is a vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter most active in the 1980s and early 1990s
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
scenes of Northern California. Thayer was a member of the band
Game Theory
Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...
, and later formed
Hex with
Steve Kilbey
Steven John Kilbey (born 13 September 1954) is an English Australians, English-Australian singer-songwriter and bass guitarist for the rock band The Church (band), the Church. He is also a music producer, poet, and painter. As of 2020, Kilbey h ...
of
The Church.
She has been described by ''
Bucketfull of Brains
''Bucketfull of Brains'' (also known as ''BoB'') was a London-based music magazine, founded in 1979 and published until 2015 . An associated record label was launched in 2010.
History
''Bucketfull of Brains'' was founded by Nigel Cross in 1979, a ...
'' magazine as "the enchantress," and by radio trade journal ''The Hard Report'' as "Gaea personified," while ''
Trouser Press Record Guide'' described her work as "a suave (post-paisley?) successor to California flower-pop."
[
]
Biography
Early musical career
Thayer began her musical career in the late 1970s in Davis, California
Davis is the most populous city in Yolo County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 66,850 in 2020, not including the on-campus population of the University of California, Da ...
, as guitarist and vocalist for X-Men. She later formed The Veil, which released one album, ''1000 Dreams Have Told Me'' (1984), produced by Scott Miller of Game Theory
Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...
. In the mid-1980s, Thayer moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, and formed a short-lived band called No Matter What, which included guitarist Zachary Smith, bassist Daniel Liston Keller, and drummer B Jon Chinburg.
Game Theory
In 1986, Thayer joined power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
/college rock
College rock was the alternative rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream ...
band Game Theory
Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...
as a guitarist and vocalist. She had previously appeared as a guest performer on the band's debut album, ''Blaze of Glory'' (1982).
With Game Theory, Thayer recorded the cult classic double album ''Lolita Nation
''Lolita Nation'' is the fourth full-length album by Game Theory, a California power pop band fronted by guitarist and singer-songwriter Scott Miller. Originally released in 1987 as a double LP, the album was reissued by Omnivore Recordings in Fe ...
'' (1987), and toured extensively promoting the album. Thayer wrote the song "Look Away" (originally performed with her earlier band, X-Men), and is credited as co-writer of "Mammoth Gardens" and "Not Because You Can." She also played on Game Theory's subsequent album, ''Two Steps from the Middle Ages
''Two Steps from the Middle Ages'' (1988) is the fifth studio album by power pop band Game Theory.
History
Miller intended the album to be "a more straightforward, singles-based record" than its predecessor, ''Lolita Nation'':
In a review ...
'' (1988). Following a promotional tour for the release of ''Two Steps'', Thayer left the band in 1988.
Hex
In 1988, Thayer teamed up with Steve Kilbey
Steven John Kilbey (born 13 September 1954) is an English Australians, English-Australian singer-songwriter and bass guitarist for the rock band The Church (band), the Church. He is also a music producer, poet, and painter. As of 2020, Kilbey h ...
of Australian psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
band The Church, to create the band Hex. Kilbey and Thayer were romantically involved at the time – Kilbey's nickname for Thayer was "Starfish," which became the title of The Church's album ''Starfish
Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish ...
''.[ ''Starfish'' featured the single "]Under The Milky Way
"Under the Milky Way" is a single by Australian alternative rock band The Church (band), The Church, released on 15 February 1988, and appears on their fifth studio album ''Starfish (album), Starfish''. The song was written by bass guitarist a ...
," a top 40 hit for the Church on the US Billboard Hot 100.
''Hex'' (1989)
'' Hex'', the 1989 self-titled debut album by the duo, was originally released on First Warning, then on Rykodisc. Kilbey's biographer has described this collaboration as "one of the most inspired and artistically rewarding collaborations of Steve's career. The arrangements for many of the songs were spare – often consisting of softly strummed acoustic guitars, ambient keyboard textures, and tasteful electronic percussion – which allowed her voice to float up through the wide open spaces like smoke."[
According to ]AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
critic Ned Raggett, the debut album "somehow gets the mood right from the start, that lovely end-of-the-'80s psych-pop/indie or whatever groove that had defined much of the underground music of that era."[ Raggett called it "lovely to hear how well they go together, Thayer's voice just tripped out and intoxicating enough, Kilbey's arrangements suiting the mood well," noting that other than a guest drummer on one track, "the two create everything themselves and do a lovely job", creating a "rainy/sunny rural-afternoon glaze throughout '' Hex'', a wonderful way to spend some time with music."][
]
''Vast Halos'' (1990)
The Kilbey-Thayer duo returned to the studio to produce their second Hex recording, ''Vast Halos'', released in 1990, with guest percussionist Jim McGrath credited for "pounding, shaking, and apple eating."[
''Vast Halos'' featured the "same combination of swoony psychedelia and new wave-tinged compositions" as ''Hex'', but was cited as "a varied and intriguing effort that overtops its predecessor with skill and style."][ According to AllMusic's Raggett, "Thayer's singing is more direct at many points, sounding fuller in the mix and in her general delivery... when the group takes a more organic approach, as with the Indian-sounding percussion on the really lovely 'Centaur,' Thayer's singing is some of her most seductive and thrilling and the results are truly special."][
]
Solo career
In 1997, Thayer released a solo album, ''Chaos and Wonder'', on Escapist Music.
Thayer contributed vocals and lyrics to the song "Peregrine," music by Tony Pucci and Stefan Horlitz, for the ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...
charity CD ''Songs for Jenny'', released on Heyday Records in October 2009. The ''Songs for Jenny'' CD also featured vocal performances by Tim Powles of The Church and Margot Smith, among others.[
In 2014, Thayer recorded a version of the Scott Miller song "The Red Baron," which originally appeared on ]Game Theory
Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...
's 1984 EP ''Distortion
In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...
''.[ Her version, released as a music video in June 2014, is expected to appear on an upcoming Scott Miller memorial tribute album.]
Discography
With X-Men:
* ''Satisfaction Guaranteed'' (EP, 1982)
With The Veil:
* ''1000 Dreams Have Told Me'' (1984)
With Game Theory:
* ''Lolita Nation
''Lolita Nation'' is the fourth full-length album by Game Theory, a California power pop band fronted by guitarist and singer-songwriter Scott Miller. Originally released in 1987 as a double LP, the album was reissued by Omnivore Recordings in Fe ...
'' (1987)
* ''Two Steps from the Middle Ages
''Two Steps from the Middle Ages'' (1988) is the fifth studio album by power pop band Game Theory.
History
Miller intended the album to be "a more straightforward, singles-based record" than its predecessor, ''Lolita Nation'':
In a review ...
'' (1988)
With Hex:
* ''Hex'' (1989)
* ''Vast Halos
Vast or VAST may refer to:
* ''Vast'' (novel), a 1998 science fiction novel by Linda Nagata
* ''Vast'' (2011 film), a Dutch film, winner of the 2011 Golden Calf for Best Television Drama
* Vast Broadband, an American cable and internet company
...
'' (1990)
* ''March'' (promotional 12" EP, 1990)
Solo releases:
* ''Chaos and Wonder'' (1997)
References
External links
Donnette Thayer's Shelter: a fan page with interviews, photos, and videos
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thayer, Donnette
Living people
American indie rock musicians
Place of birth missing (living people)
1958 births
American women rock singers
University of California, Davis alumni
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American singers
20th-century American women singers
20th-century American women guitarists
21st-century American women